Trip to Brittany and Normandy

I can't believe that our second excursion has come and passed. On Thursday and on Friday, we went to one location in Brittany and several other locations in Normandy.

Our first stop was in the city of Saint-Malo, a port town best known for its surrounding walls. Upon our arrival, we pic-nicked outside of the city walls. I always like this moment because the students discover how many sandwiches their host-parents packed for them. Most students get two sandwiches, but on occasion, students can get three.


This is a street level view of the city:
Before leaving town, we took a few photos on the beach. Below you can see the group posing with the tree trunks:
Following our visit, we went over to Mont Saint Michel, a place that is considered by some as Breton and by others as Normand. Anyways, this abbey is a genuine tourist attraction and they are literally everywhere.



Below is a another group photo of all of the students. Be proud of them all, it was a real work-out to get up that high.
Here is a small group of students posing for a photo in the cloister:


Following our visit to Mont Saint Michel, we went to our youth hostel in Lion-sur-Mer. We also met up and dined with the students and teachers from the Brest team. After diner, we played them in a game of volleyball. The Saumur team lost at the very end, even after dominating the sand. Anyways, both groups had a lot of fun and very much enjoyed themselves.




Here is a photo of both groups of students together doing what the Brest teachers call the "Disco" photo:


Following our lovely stay at the youth hostel, the next morning we went to the Caen WW2 Memorial and had a history lesson.


After lunch, we visited Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. As always, the students are very respectful of the site.





Not too far away from Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery is La Pointe du Hoc, the last site that we visited. This is an interesting site because the students had the chance to see the bomb craters caused from the Americans attacking the German base. Below you can see several students in one of the many craters.


We had a fantastic visit with great weather. However, when we got back on the bus and went back to Saumur we were welcomed by the rain (just like when the students arrived in France). As always, you can see more photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/brimurray